Candles On The Doorstep
by Givemebritcopsnow
Summary: Robbie and Laura have moved into their new house.
1. Chapter 1

**Candles On The Doorstep**

_Robbie and Laura_ _have_ _moved into their new house. This story is set somewhere between the episodes "Intelligent_ Design" _and "__Entry Wounds__", a while before Robbie takes a break from retirement_

**Disclaimer :** This story is for non-profit fan purposes only. The characters were created by Colin Dexter, and as far as I know they belong to ITV. I only borrowed them.

All mistakes are mine ...

Dr. Laura Hobson was driving home. It had been a bad day at work; one of those cases that broke through her well-schooled defenses. And now on top of it she was snarled up in a traffic jam. Her thoughts drifted off...

Today was the first day that she was driving home from work to her new place, the house that she shared with Robbie Lewis, recently retired Detective Inspector. She remembered the moment in her lab when he had asked her "You'd be alright with being with a pensioner?" a little while before he had decided to take retirement. She had answered in a semi-serious way "If that pensioner had my dinner on the table when I get home and rub my back for me 'til I can retire too ...Then I'd love it"

Laura had always lived alone - except for the few years at university when she had shared a house with a few other students. Suddenly she remembered that one of her friends once had told her she was not an easy person to live with. She was not the nest-building type of woman - or at least she thought so.

She had bought a house of her own as soon as she could afford it. Living alone had its pros and cons ... Laura had invested most of her time and energy into her career. She loved her job, but she also liked an active social life, concerts, sports, theatre, going out with friends.

She was an independent woman, always had been, and she had enjoyed the liberty to come and go whenever she liked without having to tell anybody. Laura could get up at dawn or stay in bed, nobody would care. She practised the clarinet whenever she felt like it, could turn up the volume of the stereo or she could work in the middle of the night, even take a bath at 3 in the morning with no consideration for somebody else.

And she could be on her own, could avoid meeting anybody if she did not feel like it, especially on a bad day... But in the last few years she had wondered how different her life could have been if she had had a husband and children.

No, she did not have regrets - it would just have been different. And now, there was Robbie in her life and his family had given her a warm welcome.

Laura Hobson and Robbie Lewis had moved into their house only three days ago. There was a wave of flu in her lab and Laura had been called back to work more than a week earlier than planned. A lot of detail work still had to be done in the house and she hoped Robbie could manage on his own.

Laura finally parked her car in the drive in front of the house. The darkness and the chilly weather suited her mood.

She took her laptop and her bag from the passenger seat, then she walked slowly towards the door. She could see the dim light in the hallway. A lantern with three big white candles was standing outside on a small stool, next to the front door. It had not been there this morning. The warm glow of the candlelight painted a pattern on the stones at her feet. Today was the first day that she did not come home to an empty house. This was _their_ home now and it had been Laura who insisted on selling her old place and find a new house to make a fresh start together.

It felt different to come home to a place where someone was waiting for her.

This was one of the things that had changed in her life now.

Laura was a practical person. She had opted to book an all-inclusive removal service. They both only had to pack their private, personal things. Everything else was packed by the removal people. After arriving at their new place they had chosen to unpack only the boxes marked "private" themselves, so everything would be in the right place from the beginning.

She opened the front door and a pile of boxes caught her attention. Laura felt slightly annoyed - Robbie had had nothing else to do today, so why where these boxes still blocking the way? He had wanted to stack away the photos, the vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and a few boxes of kitchen stuff while she was at work.

She had just closed the door behind her when she noticed something else. The house was warm and a delicious smell of apples and cinnamon wavered over from the kitchen. She could hear the radio. Cricket? Laura quietly took a few steps into the house and stood still. Usually she had to switch the heating on herself and get something to eat, make tea or coffee herself when she wanted some. This was a new experience for her although Robbie and Laura had spent most of their time together either at Robbie's flat or in Laura's house in the past year. They both had been working long hours and they did not have a lot of time for cooking except when none of them was working.

The welcoming smell of apples and cinnamon tickled her nose again. Obviously Robbie had started his own kind of house-warming party.

The candles, the noise, the apple scent and the warmth hit her senses, wrapped around her like a warm blanket and moved her nearly to tears.

Robbie's presence made her feel safe and comfortable and many years ago, as a very young woman, she never would have thought that this might be important for her one day. Was he really doing this especially for her?

The role of houseman and pensioner was still new for Robbie and she tried to push the thought away that this might not be enough for him on the long run.

His work as a detective had been the centre of his life for so many years. Laura had actively chosen to live alone, but Robbie did have no choice all those years ago.

There had been men in Laura's life but none of them had ever done anything domestic at her place. She told herself again that she was a strong, independent person, she was not the kind of woman to work herself into a sentimental mood over something like a few candles in front of her door. Again she had to remind herself, this was not _her place_ alone - Robbie was living here, they were living here together, and he was exactly the kind of person who would do something like this for her.

Laura felt ashamed about her first impatient reaction when she had found the boxes near the front door.

The house was not perfectly tidy, but suddenly she didn't care anymore. She draped her jacket over the boxes and hurried towards the kitchen where she found Robbie staring into the oven - he had placed a chair right in front of it and was sitting there listening to some cricket match, watching the proceedings inside the oven.

Robbie turned around and Laura noticed that his face was all flushed by the heat of the oven. Laura stepped up behind the chair and wrapped her arms around Robbie, kissing him on the cheek. He tilted his head to return the kiss.

One look at her made him ask "Bad day, was it?" She had to pull herself together to make sure her voice wouldn't sound wobbly before she answered in a matter-of-fact tone "Accident involving a child".

Robbie did not have to ask for more details to know what was needed now. Instead, he exhaled softly - then he left his observation point in front of the oven to turn the radio off. "See? I unpacked the last kitchen boxes in the morning. I got us something to eat. And a bottle of wine. That's all we need today". In one swift move he switched the oven off, put the kettle on and cupped his warm hands around Laura's shoulders. Laura noticed a few spots of white paint on the right sleeve of Robbie's white-and-blue chequered shirt. He manoeuvered her gently towards the neatly set table. He used teatowels to take a hot applepie out of the oven and explained in a slightly apologetic tone "Don't worry, I didn't make it myself ... "

Laura relaxed and grinned at Robbie. He had set his priorities - take her mind off this awful day at work and make her comfortable at their new home.

No, she absolutely didn't mind being with a pensioner. It felt really good to come home to this place where the man she loved was waiting for her.

And in this moment Laura forgot about the pile of unpacked boxes and untidy rooms - she wished Robbie would remember his offer and start rubbing her back for her.


	2. Candles On The Doorstep - Chapter 2

**Candles on the Doorstep - Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer :** This story is for non-profit fan purposes only. The characters were created by Colin Dexter, and as far as I know they belong to ITV. I only borrowed them.

All mistakes are mine ...

Robbie Lewis made his tour through all the rooms of the house immediately after Laura Hobson had left for work. It was their first normal working day in the house they had bought together. And it was his first full day as a pensioner and "houseman" - he was not sure how you called it these days. Robbie knew that he still had to learn a few household things. He was good at ironing, knew how to operate a washing machine and a microwave and he had worked out an effective system of cleaning his old flat in a minimum of time.

He opened the windows of the bedroom to let the cool autumn air in and started to make the beds. There was only the faintest hint of Laura's perfume lingering on her pillow but it made his heart jump a little bit. He tenderly smoothed out the sheets and the duvet and temporarily got distracted by the image of his fingertips gliding lightly over Laura's silky skin... "Aah, come off it man, it's early in the morning..." he admonished himself and resolutely went on to his next task, cleaning the bathroom. The bedroom and bathroom were already perfectly habitable only three days after they had moved in.

It felt strange to stay at home alone at their new place. Robbie made a list of things he wanted to do. They needed a few brighter lightbulbs for the hallway, a complete set of new bulbs for the outdoor lamps and a bit of paint to repair the little scratches that had been caused when the boxes and furniture had been carried into the house. He wanted the paint to be completely dry before the last bits of new furniture would be delivered within the next few days. Robbie wanted to make tea in the late afternoon - cake or sandwiches, something that was easy to make. The most important thing however was to work out what was wrong with the heating. Laura had not complained but she had been wearing her warmest knitted cardigan and wollen socks all the time since they had moved in.

The house looked a bit untidy. Robbie did not like packing and unpacking but he couldn't avoid it. There was not much left to stow away - the removal company had done a very good job, worth every penny. Laura had been right to book the all-inclusive removal service.

The stereo could wait, Robbie decided to concentrate on the essential things of life. He started unpacking the last boxes filled with kitchen equipment from Laura's house and from his flat. Laura would probably put most of it somewhere else anyway. They had already sorted out everything that they owned in duplicate. Laura's household appliances were modern, easy to use and easy to clean. Robbie had rented his old flat nearly fully equipped, and as a single bloke he had only bought additional things that were absolutely necessary. He only kept some pieces of porcelain that had been in his family for ages and the popcorn maker that the kids had loved.

Robbie had been excited and nervous when Laura and he had talked about moving in together. He had assumed Laura was asking him to move in with her and in return he had offered to help pay the mortgage when he wasn't paying rent anymore. Robbie had been more than surprised to learn that Laura was planning to sell her house and find a new place for them to live together. He had immediately loved the idea.

Robbie and Laura were overjoyed when after a couple of months of househunting they found exactly the place they both liked at first sight and from that moment on Robbie had looked forward to the day the removal van would arrive outside his flat.

While they were making plans where to put the furniture, what to keep and what to give away, Robbie had wondered whether it would be easy for Laura to live with him. Laura had never had a husband or kids, never had a domestic life with a "significant other" who had been around for a longer period. Had she ever known how it felt to live with someone you love?

Did she know how it felt to come home to a brightly lit house that was filled with the fragrance of food, where laughter, loud music, and sometimes a row waited just behind the door? Had there ever been someone who looked after her when she was ill? Robbie wasn't sure whether it was alright to ask Laura these questions.

It was in this moment that Robbie realized he possibly had taken on a few odd habits in the years he had spent alone.

Robbie remembered something he used to do as a husband and father. As soon as he had entered the front door of the family home, he had done his best to leave the job behind - he had not allowed his work to intrude his home. He never wanted his family to know details about the cruel things he was dealing with at work. Val had known of course how much it affected Robbie to see the worst side of human nature every day.

It had been horrible to come home into an empty house after Val had died and the children had gone their own ways. Robbie remembered how it had felt and shuddered. He had sold the family home, was seconded to the British Virgin Islands not quite voluntarily and when he came back, he had moved into a tiny flat hoping that it would not feel quite as bad to come home to a smaller place. But the feeling had been the same in all the flats he had lived in. He had learnt to live with it.

Robbie got rid of these sinister thoughts of the past, focussed on the very near future and headed for the nearest Tesco. He intended to get something to eat that was easy to make. He grabbed a bacon roll for his lunch. After looking around for a while he found pre-baked applepies. He chose an applepie that looked tasty. He made a mental note to check with Laura what kind of food he should buy tomorrow. Now that he would be at home most of the time, he might as well try to cook a few meals. A sign "Fresh pizza, pasta and garlic bread" caught his attention. He took two fresh pizzas and a small garlic butter baguette. Then he needed a few minutes to find a bag of salad to show Laura he was willing to eat healthy food. She had changed a few things in his life - one of them was feeding him a healthy diet. He always grumbled a bit (he knew that Laura expected this) but he also knew why she was doing it. Before going to the checkout he finally put a bottle of red wine into his basket.

Then he drove to the DIY store to get the wall paint and hurried home. Hurried towards _their home. _He liked the sound of the word _home_ in this new context.

He re-painted the scratches on the walls after having a mug of tea and his sandwich for lunch. Then he started to make himself acquainted with the secrets of the heating system. He was lucky to find a detailed manual, nevertheless adjusting all the switches, controllers and thermostats took him longer than expected. After a few hours everything was in good working order. Robbie wanted the place to be cosy and warm when Laura came back from work. It was always cool in her morgue.

Of course Robbie knew that she was used to living alone and probably did not really want anyone to fuss about her. But in some mysterious way the family man in him had found his way to the surface after all this time. Robbie felt the need to make Laura feel comfortable. And he was sure that she would let him.

It was getting dark and Robbie went to switch the outdoor lights on. On his way to the door it hit him that he hadn't bought the lightbulbs. That would be one item on his to-do-list for tomorrow. He remembered having seen a big glass lantern with three large white candles in the patio. He took the lantern, cleaned it, placed it outside near the front door on a small stool and lit the candles. Then he switched on the dim light in the hallway. The candlelight outside wasn't very bright either but at least Laura would be able to see the keyhole and wouldn't trip over the doormat. Apart from that it looked nice.

Robbie just managed to unpack one box of books before it was time to have a look at the applepie. He studied the instructions on the package carefully, pre-heated the oven and set the table.

He switched the small radio in the kitchen on. Robbie placed a chair in front of the oven. He would not take his eyes off the pie. It said something about a "golden brown surface" in the instructions and he didn't want to miss that.

He heard the key in the front door and then there was silence.

After a little while he heard Laura's footsteps and felt her arms wrap around him from behind, her soft lips on his cheek. When he turned his head to kiss her, one look at Laura told him that today must have been a really bad day. Her tense voice and her curt answer "Accident involving a child" to his question was all he needed to know. They had worked together for so many years that it felt wrong somehow to be at home while Laura was out in the field. He did not expect her to leave work at the door but he could offer his support whenever she wanted it.

Robbie had not quite figured out what his new life as a pensioner would be like but he had already made up his mind on one thing: he wanted to be there when Laura needed someone to rub her back.


End file.
